The 1992 to 1996 phase of the
conflict in Afghanistan (1978–present) began after the resignation of the communist President
Mohammad Najibullah. The post-communist
Islamic State of Afghanistan was established by the
Peshawar Accord, a peace and power-sharing agreement under which all the Afghan parties were united in April 1992, except for the
Hezb-e Islami of
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Hekmatyar started a bombardment campaign against the capital city Kabul which marked the beginning of this new phase in the war. In direct contrast to the Soviet era, the countryside witnessed relative calm during that period while major cities such as Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif and Kandahar witnessed violent fighting.